Sunday, July 20, 2014

New economic report urges Africa to build credible institutions

African countries need to introduce credible
industrial policies to effectively promote organizations with a view to enhance
the structural transformation of the continent, says a new economic report
jointly produced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and
the African Union Commission. The report which was launched in Dar es Salaam on
Tuesday this week, says that, “transforming Africa’s landscape has failed
partly because countries used industrial blueprints characterized by lack of
dynamism and high level coordination as well as inadequate consultations with
stakeholders”. Until now, says the report, an examination in Africa’s failure at
industrialization has ignored the policy processes and institutions governing
industrial policy in Africa or the impact of their inherent weaknesses on
industrialization. Presenting the report under the theme titled, “Dynamic industrial policy in Africa”UNECA’s Senior Economic Affairs Andrew Mold
said that, weak institutional structures and poor policy design have been at
the root of Africa’s industrial policy problem throughout its post-independence
history. The report the first to be launched in the country by UNECA this
year,talks about some key important
sectors of development in Africa with realization that poor implementation of
industrial policy is a major drawback of economic development of most African
countries. The report incorporates several country case studies across Africa,
Tanzania included with a view to assess the critical ingredients for spurring
Africa’s industrialization, innovative institutions, effective processes and
flexible mechanism. The report recommends that, top-level coordination of the
industrial policy framework is required to deal with potential problems that
could undermine the efficiency of industrial policy. The report further
recommends that, there should be provision for dialogues between public sector
and private stakeholders so as to allow governments and the industrial policy
organizations to be adaptable to the changing needs of industry, the report
counsels. Regarding the provision of modern infrastructure and logistic
necessary for industrialization, the report wants governments with few
resources to create ‘pockets of infrastructure’ focused on sectoral or
clustering needs of industrial expansion. It further recommends industrial
parks as one approach which provides high potential for growth and value
addition as well as for solid linkage development and related spillovers among
companies, suppliers and service providers. The report concludes
that, to ensure that growth is both sustainable and beneficial to all strata of
society in Africa, countries on the continent, including Tanzania, must adopt
industrial policies that are germane to their own local contexts and set up
strong institutions with the mandate of formulating and pushing through such
policies.

AWARD 1

I won the second prize in policy category of the African Information society Initiative ( AISI) awards 2004 which is annually organized by the United Nations- Economic Commission for Africa ( UNECA) based in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. On the first photo above standing with other awardees after the Ceremony at the National Settlers monument in Grahamstown, South Africa.This was during the 8th Highway Africa Conference.The second photo shows the cross section of Jounalists from different African countries who attended the ceremony.

AWARD 2

I also won the AISI-GKP/SDC Media Award special reporting on WSIS process and Africa, and conferred with the award in Tunis, Tunisia during WSIS summit in 2005. See the photo above.

AWARD 3

Winner on the Media Competition on writing about " Stigma denial and Discrimination" associated with HIV/AIDS. This was organized by theAssociation of Journalists Against Aids in Tanzania ( AJAAT). On the Photo above President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania, ( then the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) was the guest of honour during the award giving ceremony.This was at Maelezo auditorium in Dar-es-Salaam September 2005.

AWARD 4

Winner on the Media Competition on writing about "Vulnerable Children" associated with HIV/AIDS This was organized by the Association of Journalists Against Aids in Tanzania ( AJAAT)

AWARD 5

Winner of the National ICT Media Award organized By SWOPNET in the Country. On the photo above Morogoro Regional Commissioner, Brigadier General ( Rt) Saidi Kalembo was the guest of honour during the award giving ceremony which was held at New Sarvoy Hotel in morogoro town.I was awarded a Mobile phone and a tape-recorder.

AWARD 6

I participated in the Media Competition in writing about VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) in Tanzania which was held between July 15th and October 30th 2008 whereby I emerged among the top five winners. The competition was under the program known as “Tanzania bila Ukwimwi inawezekana” which literally means, Tanzania without AIDS disease transmission is possible”. This is a program which was organizedby the Association of Journalists Against AIDS in Tanzania (AJAAT) under TACAIDS funding. In the photo, I am being presented with a certificate of participation by the Chairman of the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) Dr. Fatma Mrisho in a colorful ceremony which was held on 22nd December 2008 at Tanzania Information Centre in Dar es Salaam.

AWARD 7

AWARD 8

AWARD 9

I was among the top 17 best selected students who excelled in their final examinations of the 2010/2011 academic year and awarded with the Vice-Chancellor’s prize. I scored 4.5 GPA (First Class) in BA in Journalism. Above I am being given a certificate by the Chairman of the Open University of Tanzania Board of Senate. Standing at the centre facing camera is the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tolly Mbwette. Extreme left partly hidden is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Elifas Bisanda. This occasion took place during the convocation meeting, a day before the graduation day at the prospective permanent headquarter of the Open University of Tanzania which is currently under construction at Bungo-Kibaha in Coast region 40 kilometers away west of Dar es Salaam city.